BritTim

Based on the information you have sent me, it looks very much as though you are using the scammer's email address to try to communicate with the Royal Thai Embassy in London. That is a very bad idea. As I have informed you earlier, I cannot investigate without seeing the raw message as it was received by Microsoft. A regular forward does not contain all the information about how the message was transmitted from the original sender to Microsoft which is critical to any meaningful investigation.

That is logical. Three days ago, I believed 100% that it was impossible to get a work permit on a Non O visa (retirement) or a retirement extension. I am no longer convinced. You cannot just decide what is allowed based on terminology. The letter of the law is a bigger factor.

Try to enter with a Non O visa. It is totally impossible to open a Thai bank account from overseas. You will need to arrange it after your arrival which will be easier with a Non O visa. Unless very persistent, you will likely still need an agent to assist with opening the bank account. If you want to go to the effort of opening the account without the assistance of an agent, there are guidelines that can improve your chances, but it is tough.

When banks use that "correspondent bank" excuse for an indirect transfer, it enrages me. It is almost always totally unnecessary, adds to the cost, creates delay and (as here) makes tracking the transfer much more difficult. When a bank does that, insist on them giving you the MT103 document, a detailed SWIFT document describing how the transfer was done, and giving what you need to satisfy Immigration.

As I am sure you know, you are still charged an extra 0.25% by the Thai bank when transferring in baht. I have never heard a valid justification for this.

Correct. Before going to Immigration for the 60-day extension (with his wife in attendance) he should get an up to date KR2 document from any amphoe office.

I think you need to reread his post. He claimed that he applied for and received the Non O visa at Immigration after entering visa exempt, and was subsequently denied an extension because his permission to stay had less than 15 days remaining on the initial 90 days. Extensions are always, in principle, at the discretion of the Immigration officials, but I absolutely do not understand this one based on the claimed reason.

That is an official rule. However, if the funds have lain undisturbed in your account for at least a few months, most immigration offices will waive the proof that the money originated abroad.

This seems sketchy. A lawyer setting up a business for a foreigner should know how to get a work permit without the foreigner needing to research and acquire the necessary visa (a critical and integral part of the process). The lawyer cannot provide the work permit until you have a qualifying visa and the business meets the other requirements (such as four Thai employees in most cases).

You are expected to use that money. There is no need to keep the money in the bank. They just want to see you regularly bringing the money into Thailand. Their main concern is that you are illegally earning money in Thailand.

That does not make sense. If you enter with a Non O visa, you are given an initial 90-day permission to stay which you can extend for one year at any time during the final 30 days of this initial permission to stay.

I believe that is possible, in principle, though it may depend on the Immigration office. I could imagine some offices claiming that the first extension must be based on retirement, not based on being the husband's dependant.

Leaving aside the fact that you assigned your quote to the wrong poster ... The expiry date of the original Non O visa is irrelevant. What is important is that you apply for an extension before the end of the 90-day permission to stay you receive from the visa. You can apply for an extension of your permission to stay right up to the last day of your existing permission to stay. If applying for a visa at Immigration, you must have at least 15 days (up to 21 days at some offices) left on your current permission to stay on the day you submit the application.

No. The consulate will accept that your children have not renounced their Thai nationality since birth. Be aware that you can only get a single entry visa if applying based on Thai child.

The transfer of stamps from the old passport to the new is supposed to be free, though some offices will insist on an unofficial charge (for which you will not get a receipt). Your permission to stay from the old passport will remain unchanged after transfers to the new passport. You must still request an extension before the expiry of that permission to stay. Just transferring stamps to the new passport does not add any time to your existing permission to stay.

This is a good plan, though there is one major complication you must be aware of. Once you have a one-year extension of stay, your wife is eligible for an extension as your dependant. However, the initial Non O visa for this cannot be acquired in Thailand. It may be best initially for both of you to apply for Non O visas independently, with your wife changing to extensions as your dependant later if desired.

Your wife's passport is not necessary. The id card is fine. You can exit Thailand on the last day of your current permission to stay. You need to show 20,000 baht (or equivalent in a major currency) in a bank account. A Thai bank passbook recently updated is sufficient. In theory, you can be asked by Thai immigration to show 20,000 baht cash at the border. In practice that never happens. It would be best to have a recent KR2 (especially if your wife is not with you) but they will probably not insist on that.

Be warned that while most immigration offices will accept that, some offices will refuse to accept a joint account, regardless of the amount in the account.

That used to be possible, but no longer (even with financial proof)

That is true, but it has been rare for transfers to use an intermediary bank once you ask for direct transfers. Having to deal with that for a single transfer every couple of years would be bearable.

Immigration in Thailand might ask questions, but are unlikely to ultimately be an issue. The problem will be the airline check-in staff when you check in. If possible, get the visa corrected. If time constraints make this infeasible, you may need to be prepared to be treated like someone planning to visit visa exempt, and asked for an onward flight booking (which could be one of those dubious rental tickets).

No. The phishing email was worded in such a way that it is clear that the scammer (along with not knowing his name) were unaware of the visa type being applied for. All they have is the list of email addresses of those applying for visas.

Indeed, it is. And, the lack of any further qualification in the rules for a work permit leads me to believe that, in principle, any Non Immigrant visa that does not state EMPLOYMENT PROHIBITED on the visa stamp probably qualifies, including a Non O based on retirement. Prior practice has the Labour Department denying work permits to those on retirement visas/extensions, and I think this is correct for those who enter with a Non O-A visa, but for those on a Non O (regardless of purpose) the denials have probably been the policy rather than the law. It is similar to the policy that now exists to deny a Non O visa to visit family and friends to those who wish to visit friends. That policy is now almost invariably followed, but it is legal for an embassy/consulate to issue it. I find this interesting, and am open to be convinced that I am wrong.

Yes, you can convert from a tourist entry or visa exempt entry to a Non Immigrant entry at Immigration in Thailand.

One of the firm requirements (and this is by law) is that you must be on a non immigrant entry or permanent residence. You cannot just ignore one of the key requirements for being issued a work permit. The visa does not automatically give you the right to work, but it is still a prerequisite. I assume you would agree that having an employer is necessary for a work permit in spite of the fact that the employer does not issue you the work permit.